A popular attraction—and one of our favorite places on Kauaʻi—closed on Oct. 31, 2024. Makauwahi Cave Reserve, the largest limestone cave in Hawaiʻi and has preserved over 10,000 years of sedimentary history, is no longer accessible to the public. After 20 years the leaseholders of the cave returned the property back to the landowner, Grove […]
Got a trip planned to Oʻahu—but want to visit Kauaʻi, too? I don’t blame you. Kauaʻi is one of my favorite places to visit, especially when I want to decompress and relax. It’s a great island for exploring, with miles of uncrowded hiking trails and secluded beaches. If you’re planning to spend at least a
It’s not every day you walk through a forest of Honduras mahogany trees in Hawai‘i—or anywhere, really. And yet, here we are, standing among more than 85,000 of these trees, planted in perfect rows on the Wai Koa Plantation, a 500-acre working farm on the north shore of Kaua‘i. Wai Koa is the largest mahogany
Kauaʻi’s East Side is known as the Royal Coconut Coast for the groves of coconut palms that grace the coastline. Visitors like its central location; it’s only 15 minutes from Līhuʻe and an hour from Kaua‘i’s North Shore or the west side. This is the most populated district on the island, with about 16,000 of
The quaint Kauaʻi town of Kōloa stretches from Old Kōloa Town all the way to Poʻipū on the island’s sunny south shore. It was the site of Hawaiʻi’s first commercial sugar mill, which opened in 1835, and its rich history is evident all around the small town. Walk around and see cute boutiques and art
I had a lot of questions. How cold is the water? How long is the drive? Am I going to freak out in the tunnels? Our guide answered all of my questions—“not very,” “not far,” “no worries”—before I hopped in the open-air, four-wheel-drive vehicle with my 6-year-old son to ride inner tubes down an old
There may not be any national parks on Kauaʻi, but the island does boast five—yes, five—state parks with some of the island’s best beaches, trails and vistas. One of the most popular is Kōkeʻe State Park, perched 3,600 feet above sea level on the island’s west side. It’s truly a hiker’s paradise, with 45 miles
The gateway to Hanalei Town and a foodie’s paradise, Postcards Café lives up to its motto as a place “where time stops and memories begin.” The small plantation-style diamond in the rough is just past the one-lane bridge from Princeville. Hanalei, the last town on the North Shore of Kaua‘i, is rich in history, peppered
The forecast called for sunshine—after all, this was Kaua‘i—and we planned accordingly. That meant leaving rain jackets and backpack shells behind. Luckily, that was the only mistake we made that weekend. When I turned 40, my husband took me on a hiking adventure to Kaua‘i. We stayed in one of the rustic cabins at Kōke‘e
We’re in the swing of summer, and our editorial team has been out and about, searching out stories to share in our upcoming winter issue. Editor Kevin Allen recently returned from a day trip to the Lānaʻi Cat Sanctuary, a shelter for feral cats on the island. He got to hang out with the more
Kōkeʻe State Park is a hiker’s dream, with 45 miles of hiking trails that offer breathtaking views of Kauaʻi’s fabled Nāpali Coast. But as someone who has made all sorts of travel mistakes in my life—including thinking we could grab dinner at the park’s restaurant only to find out it closes at 4:30 p.m. and
With the pristine ocean, green valleys and serene Wailua River, there’s an activity for just about every type of thrill-seeker on the Royal Coconut Coast of Kauaʻi. The area encompasses the districts of Wailua and Kapaʻa on Kauaʻi’s eastern shoreline and is aptly named for the groves of coconut trees there and historical ties to
